Chapter 22: Ice Bamboo Jade Letter
Dark clouds obscured the moon, the night was dark and windy, and the Fuli Valley under the shadow of the Wuming Demon Mountain was silent as death.
On the pitch-black stone road, a piece of dark green gauze slowly fell, and the dim street lamps cast an exceptionally gloomy light on the glass feather headdress on his head.
It was already curfew, and there was not a soul to be seen on the streets of Fuli Valley. The figure of Gu Chang walked slowly along the street and stopped in front of a well. In the faint light, one could vaguely see two characters written on the well: "Shi Nie".
Shi Nie was the only sweet water well in Fuli Valley, and all the people of Fuli Valley fetched water from this well for their daily lives.
The newcomer glanced at the well, then pursed his lips, and a smirk of mischief curled his thin lips. With a casual lift of his slender arm, a silver light flashed and fell into the well.
Without lingering any longer, he walked away.
The next day, the people of Fuli Valley began to react differently after using the water from Shi Nie. Some people's bodies were burned, and some who were not sufficiently cultivated even died after drinking the well water.
Fuli Valley belonged to the demonic realm, shrouded in darkness and impurity. In contrast, the cultivation realm of Liaoyin was serene and ethereal. Although the two sides had not fought for many years, they had always existed in mutual restraint within the Three Realms. And because there were many friends of Liaoyin in the cultivation realm, for many years, the affairs of the Three Realms were mostly controlled by the cultivation sects on the surface.
In the Hall of the Demon Lord in the Wuming Demon Mountain...
"Report to the Lord, there have been anomalies among the people of Fuli Valley this morning. It has been confirmed that all those who have used the water from Shi Nie have suffered varying degrees of burns. Some of the younger ones even died after drinking the water. The casualties among the people of Fuli Valley are now severe. It is feared that someone has tampered with the water from Shi Nie. Does the Lord need to go and investigate?" Hua Qiuyan reported.
Li Minghan seemed to know the reason behind this. A satisfied smile appeared under his unseen mask, but he still pretended to be unaware and said, "Is that so? Qiuyan, go and call Hua Ruoying. Let her treat the injured people, and the rest of you come with me to investigate Shi Nie." Li Minghan ordered and then got up to go to Fuli Valley.
At this moment, Fuli Valley was a scene of devastation, with countless demon realm people groaning on the ground. Some leaned against the street, with varying degrees of burns on their bodies and faces.
When Li Minghan appeared in Fuli Valley, the people on the street bowed to him one after another. As the emperor of the demon race for generations, Li Minghan treated the people of Fuli Valley kindly, so he was very popular among them.
["I heard before that my brother was kind-hearted and treated the people of the demon race very well. Today, it seems that my brother treats himself as a savior? Look at the people lined up on both sides. There is no trace of the majesty of the demon race. It's more like the commoners of an ordinary family in the human world."] Li Minghan, on horseback, mocked himself in his heart.
The demon lord's troops soon arrived at the scene of the incident. After Li Minghan dismounted, he walked quickly to the side of Shi Nie's well. The wellhead had been covered with wooden boards.
"What's going on?" Li Minghan asked sternly as he looked at the wellhead covered with stones and wooden boards.
"Lord, for some reason, the water from Shi Nie's well today... Anyone who has touched the well water has suffered different degrees of injuries. We were afraid that there might be something under the well that would hurt people, so we had the people seal the well." a servant on the side reported.
"Foolish!" Li Minghan flicked his fingers, and the wooden boards covering the wellhead flew out and crashed into the nearby wall, shattering.
He ordered someone to bring up a bucket of well water. Li Minghan then walked forward and lightly dipped his fingertips into the water, then withdrew them. The lips under the unseen mask seemed to silently recite something, and soon the fingertips that had just touched the water turned visibly red.
"It seems that there is indeed a problem with this well water."
After confirming that the well water was problematic, Li Minghan manipulated his palm and silently recited a mantra. As his wrist kept turning, with the continuous activation of the spell in his mouth, the water in Shi Nie's well began to boil and bubble gradually, accompanied by billowing white smoke, as if the water in the well was boiling at this moment. Soon, something resembling a jade pendant, flashing with silver light, slowly floated up from the bottom of the well.
Li Minghan intentionally brought the jade pendant closer, and the clear and transparent peach blossom pattern on it could be seen clearly by everyone present.
"This is actually the Empty Flower Token!" exclaimed a middle-aged man beside him. Hearing this man's words, the crowd immediately stirred.
Hearing someone recognize the token, Li Minghan's lips curled up slightly, and a satisfied expression appeared in his eyes.
"The Empty Flower Token? How is that possible? This Empty Flower Token is something from the Liaoyin Realm. How could it appear at the bottom of the well in Fuli Valley for no reason?" someone in the crowd asked.
"How could this thing appear at the bottom of Shi Nie's well out of nowhere? I suspect someone deliberately threw this thing into the well to harm us? Those from the Liaoyin Realm, they are nothing but pseudo-gentlemen hiding behind the name of cultivation!" The crowd's discussions rose and fell, more and more people learned that the culprit causing harm at the bottom of Shi Nie's well was none other than the Empty Flower Token, and their anger began to stir. Several individuals even felt so enraged that they wished to confront the people from the Liaoyin Realm immediately.
[Indeed, demons are demons. Probing maliciously is what you're best at.] Li Minghan stood there, listening to the increasingly angry voices around him, without saying a word.
"Demon Lord, you have to help us. My little treasure is not even five years old. This morning, he was just thirsty, so I told him to fetch water himself. I didn't expect that after drinking the water from this well, he... he died suddenly." A woman rushed out of the crowd, her expression full of grief, pounding her chest and crying as she knelt at Li Minghan's feet to plead.
"And my father, this morning he just washed his face with the water from the well, and now half of his face has no flesh left." A young man's voice came from the crowd, accompanied by an elderly man whose face was unrecognizable due to the burns, being supported beside him.
"My mother is the same. Look at how this water has corroded her hands. Now there's only bone left." A woman raised the hands of an elderly woman beside her angrily.
As more and more people spoke out, the entire population of Fuli Valley became increasingly angry. Li Minghan watched everything before him, his tone comforting and caring as he consoled the crowd, but there was a subtle, barely noticeable look of anticipation in his eyes.
"Everyone, please calm down. This matter still needs to be investigated. After all, Fuli Valley has always been peaceful, with no disputes with the cultivators. I believe they wouldn't harm the innocent people of Fuli Valley for no reason." Li Minghan spoke gently, trying to soothe the tense atmosphere.
"What do you mean 'for no reason'? It's obvious they're deliberately trying to harm us. We've been minding our own business in Fuli Valley for so many years, they probably thought we were easy targets, thinking they could bully us however they pleased."
"I think the people from the Liaoyin Realm are deliberately pushing the envelope. Who doesn't know that the Demon Lord has suffered some injuries since his last seclusion? I think they want to take advantage of the Demon Lord's current illness to kill us off first, and then take over Fuli Valley and the Wuming Demon Mountain."
"Those so-called cultivators are just hypocrites. I've been disgusted with them for a long time. If Situ Fan can't give us an explanation today, this matter won't end!" Suddenly, a rugged man in the crowd stepped forward, his voice filled with righteous indignation.
"Yes! This won't end until we're satisfied!"
"Everyone, please calm down. Perhaps there is some misunderstanding." Feeling that it was about time, Li Minghan spoke again, trying to persuade them.
"What misunderstanding? It's clear that someone wants to harm us in Fuli Valley. Could it be that we stole their jade pendant and threw it into this well?" a woman snarled viciously.
"We've tolerated them from the Liaoyin Realm for too long. If it weren't for the Demon Lord's mediation for generations, we would have confronted those pseudo-gentlemen a long time ago and let them know we're not that easy to bully."
"It's really too much. I say we should fight back, let these guys from the Liaoyin Realm know that we demons are not to be messed with." Another voice came from the other side of the crowd.
With the increasingly angry voices in the crowd, the entire Fuli Valley was boiling with resentment because of the Empty Flower Token. Meanwhile, Hua Ruoying, who had been informed, arrived in Fuli Valley shortly after Li Minghan left. She inspected the injuries of the people one by one as she walked through the street.
"Miss Ruoying, the injured are mostly gathered here." The speaker was a shadow guard.
"Based on my examination just now, most of the villagers have suffered burns to varying degrees. If what they said about being injured by that Empty Flower Token is true, then it seems that only the Ice Bamboo Jade Scroll can repair the damage." Hua Ruoying couldn't help but sigh.
"Ice Bamboo Jade Scroll?" asked the shadow guard.
"Yes, the Ice Bamboo Jade Scroll is a miraculous healing item from a spring deep in the Ice Bamboo Forest. You should gather a team and arrange for the injured villagers to be taken care of. I'll go to the Ice Bamboo Forest, and it may take several days to return. While I'm away, make sure to provide them with some pain-relieving and calming medicine. Don't let any wounds come into contact with the water from Shi Nie. Wait for me to come back before making any decisions." Hua Ruoying instructed with a solemn tone.
"Understood, you can rest assured. I know what to do." The shadow guard nodded and went to make arrangements.
"The fastest way to the Ice Bamboo Forest is through the Extended Plain. It shouldn't be difficult to find the various medicinal ingredients needed for the Ice Bamboo Jade Scroll in the Extended Plain." Hua Ruoying thought aloud.
In the Liaoyin Realm, at the Mirror Cloud Residence...
Li Luoning's previous guess was correct. Mi Xingzhe did indeed use the acupuncture method he learned from the Ling Shu Classic to hinder his own recovery.
Originally, there were a few tiny ceramic shards embedded in Mi Xingzhe's flesh from the teapot that day, but Mi Xingzhe actually managed to extract them with his bare hands. Looking at the wound he had caused and the blood that spilled out, Mi Xingzhe suddenly felt much relieved.
During this period of numbed pain, he experienced an unprecedented sense of ease. Therefore, he secretly sneaked into the study at night and learned the meridian acupuncture technique from the Ling Shu Classic.
But precisely because of this, Mi Xingzhe began to develop some subconscious bad habits, as seen by Yun Qingyi's observation of his fingers that day.
Lost in thought while sitting in front of the desk, Mi Xingzhe absentmindedly rubbed his fingertips behind his neck repeatedly, unknowingly causing his fair skin to become swollen and even bleed in some places from the constant scratching. Yet, Mi Xingzhe paid no attention to the sporadic pain.
Lost in his wandering thoughts, Mi Xingzhe didn't notice that his fingertips had deeply pierced into the flesh behind his neck, leaving the fresh blood quietly lingering under his fingernails.
"Xiaoxiao, what are you thinking about?" Yun Qingyi's gentle voice suddenly appeared by his ear.
Perhaps lost in his reverie, Mi Xingzhe didn't even notice when Yun Qingyi entered.
"Elder Brother? I was just pondering these few sentences." Mi Xingzhe naturally pressed the hand that was originally behind his neck onto the paper in front of him, while pointing to a few lines of text in the book with his other hand.
What he didn't notice was the inconspicuous bloodstain left on the white paper.
"Let me see." Yun Qingyi walked to his side, took the book, and glanced at it.
"Oh, these sentences. Like this." Yun Qingyi said, intending to write down the meaning on the paper. But just as she was about to put pen to paper, she noticed the bloodstain on the side.
Yun Qingyi couldn't help but frown, her expression darkening. [Master's guess was right; little junior brother is doing something harmful to himself.]
Yun Qingyi was originally half skeptical, thinking that Master was just overly worried. However, when she found the box under Mi Xingzhe's bed that day, she was almost certain. She just hadn't caught Mi Xingzhe in the act, so she hadn't brought it up.
The pen in Yun Qingyi's hand, which was originally intended to be put down, stopped in mid-air. Her brows furrowed as she stared at the faint bloodstain on Mi Xingzhe's fingertips. At this moment, that glaring red seemed to have stirred up Yun Qingyi's displeasure.
"Xiaoxiao, what's wrong?" Mi Xingzhe, who had been waiting for Yun Qingyi to continue writing, noticed her sudden pause and felt puzzled. He looked up and followed Yun Qingyi's gradually darkening gaze to see the bloodstains on his fingertips.
Only then did Mi Xingzhe subconsciously clench his fingers lightly and slowly try to retract his hand under the table.
Yun Qingyi grabbed Mi Xingzhe's wrist as he tried to slip away, opened his palm, and firmly held his fingertip, revealing the bright red bloodstain inside.
Yun Qingyi frowned slightly, her face turning cold. Standing there in silence, she scrutinized Mi Xingzhe from head to toe, trying to find where he had scratched. Soon, her gaze fell on Mi Xingzhe's neck, and she reached out to push aside his messy hair, gently touching the back of his neck with her fingertip. When she withdrew her hand, the fresh, warm bloodstain was clearly visible on her fingertip.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone